Lily and James: The Holiday Engagement
by Angela Glad
Summary: Their first Christmas as a couple. It has its ups and downs but they some how figure it out.


"I don't get it Evans, why do you have to decorate your tree without magic?" He was irritated I could tell. First he had gone back to calling me by my last name and also he kept calling it my tree whereas when we were shopping for it it was our tree even though it would be at my flat not his.

"Because, Potter" I emphasized his last name. "It's tradition!" I explained for what felt like the twentieth time.

Our first Christmas outside of school and as a couple and there were more bumps than I had planned. First deciding just how much time to spend with each other and our friends. That had been a fun one.

"Lily? James can't come out to play right now we are having a Mauraders night and getting all of our shopping done." I understood that so I left.

"Lily, James is here!" Crap I had internally thought to myself. I went running downstairs still in my pajamas and carrying a bowl of popcorn and a diet coke along with me.

"James…" I said suddenly realizing how I looked.

"Hey Lils." He said glancing me over. "Weren't we going to go out today?"

"I totally forgot to owl you." I said hanging my head. "The girls and I are having a Christmas movie marathon."

"Movies? Oh those things on the box with the color." I knew that he was just teasing me the way he did everytime I brought up a muggle device.

"Yes." I said and from upstairs I suddenly heard.

"No boys aloud!"

"I didn't want to come anyways, Anna!" He yelled back. Turning back to me he whispered "I would love to stay but looks like I can't. I'll see you later." With that h e gave me a kiss good-bye and left. And those both were minor infractions.

There was also both of the days that we took turns forgetting about our baking day. I had come home one night and James was sitting on my front porch holding a bag a flour. So we rescheduled since I had totally forgot. The next time I had waited all day putting off other plans because James had to be coming, he was just pulling a practical joke as always, he had to be coming and he never came. Finally I had apparated right into his room and threw a handful of flour at his face before apparating back to my flat. Of course we had worked it all out.

Then there was his family and my family or my lack of family. His family knew that it was my first Christmas without my family and well they were kind of going over the top to make me feel like I belonged… It actually made me miss my family more.

"What you didn't like carolling with my family?" He asked one night as he walked me back to my place.

"What?" I asked pulling myself out of my thoughts.

"You haven't said a word the whole way back. Was it really that bad?"

"No… it was great. Really!" I said trying to make him believe me. I didn't really feel like explaining.

"Right." He said.

Ugh why did he never make anything easy? "It just makes me think of my family. You know how everyone says the holidays are the hardest… they're right." And with that I ran into my apartment crying.

Somehow we had even worked that out. But now we had to decide how to decorate not only now but if we were ever to get married. I loved the traditional way, without magic. And he loved using magic pretty much for everything.

"Please, please, please just give it a try." I said sitting down next to him and staring at him with my green eyes… his words not mine.

"Sometimes I hate how much I love you." He said kissing me.

"I love how much you love me." I said kissing him back.

And just like it always does the time right before Christmas went way too fast. And it was Christmas Eve. I personally was starting to worry. James had been uncharacteristically quiet for almost a week now. We would still get together but he wouldn't talk as much as he used to. And I was also getting nervous because I had agreed to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with his family. Well actually I had been kind of forced into it. His mother had literally said "I won't take no for an answer."

"Aren't you excited at all for tonight?" asked Anna.

"Honestly?" She nodded. "No. I keep thinking it will get easier but it just hasn't."

"Lils, your parents wouldn't want you to be sad. They always wanted you to have the best Christmas." I thought about what she said and realized she was right. "Besides I think this one is going to be really good for you." And with that she left me alone to pack.

POP and James was right beside me… in my bedroom. "What is wrong with you?" I asked throwing my pillow at him. What if I was changing?" He pretended like he was thinking oh and he also totally dodge the pillow. I threw my second one but that one totally hit him in the face.

"Sorry, didn't want to deal with your roommates today." He said coming over to me and sitting with me on my bed. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Will you promise me that no matter what happens we will never forget my parents at Christmas?" I asked.

"Oh Lily, oh Sweetheart. Never. Not for as long as I live."

"I wish they could have gotten to know you better." I whispered. "I know they would love you as much as I do."

"I love you too. But if we don't get to my parents place on time they are going to kill both of us and ask questions later."

Christmas Eve at the Potter's was unlike anything that I could ever imagine. Let me remind you that they are insanely rich. The house was fully decorated. There was garland around the spiral staircase and the tree in the front year was bigger than I remembered it. And everything looked amazing! I knew that the house elves had decorated everything.

The dinner was traditional turkey and roast potatoes and the pudding on the pudding made me gain ten pounds just from looking at it. And I haven't even started talking about the company yet. Of course the whole Potter family was there to include James's parents and all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins and Sirius. Sirius had become a member of the Potter family back in fifth year when he ran away from home.

I had expected that James would probably make his rounds and talk to his family members and he did, but he never left my side. He held my hand the whole night dragging me from group to group and the thing was it wasn't even awkward. They all made me feel very welcome and like I belonged there.

"Evans." Sirius said when I was finally able to break away from James to grab a mug of hot chocolate. "Met the family, eh?" He slurred.

"And you've met the alcohol." I said stepping back from him. One too many experiences with Sirius Black and his good old friend burban I knew not to get too close.

"Oh Evans. You should know by now that we've met a long time ago." He joked. He took a step closer. "Do you want to hear a secret, Evans?" He whispered.

"I don't know Black. You're secrets are usually supposed to be secret for a reason."

"But it's about your future." He said stepping even closer.

That peaked my interest. "Really? What about my future?"

"Your Christmas future, silly. Future as in tonight future." He was getting to the point where he couldn't contain himself anymore.

"What do you mean?"

"Tonight, around midnight is going to lead you outside where it will hopefully still be snowing. You'll go for a romantic walk together and somewhere along the walk when the time feels like he'll take you by the hand, kneel down in the snow, and ask you a question."

"James is going to propose tonight?" I squeaked. I knew that we talked about our future as if we were going to get married but I also knew James wasn't exactly the committal type. I figured it would be years before the big question with the big rock.

"Yes. But don't tell Lily." Sirius was back to slurring. He was so drunk he didn't even realize I was the one he wasn't supposed to tell.

The rest of the night I didn't leave James's side this time because I didn't want to. I wanted to be there when he decided to take that walk. I wanted to take that step. More than anything. For the first time ever something that Sirius had said gave me hope.

"Well time for bed." said James after the rest of his family had finally left. "You remember where your room is right?" He winked. Our rooms were as far across the house from each other as was physically possible.

"Wait, what but it's only eleven?" I said suddenly so confused.

"But if we don't sleep Santa won't come Evans." James joked.

Was Sirius wrong? Was James not going to propose tonight? As I walked up to my room I began cursing myself. I knew that James was afraid to commit and I had got my hopes up anyways.

It was with regret that I fell asleep. I was in the middle of a dream where James and I were already married and fighting Voldemort and life was great. Dream James was just leaning in to kiss me when. "Lily!" I heard my name being whispered. "Lily, wake up!" I started awake to see James standing in the doorway. Thanks to his mom's fancy magic he wasn't allowed to step foot in my room.

"James, what time is it?" I asked still a little muggy from sleep.

"It's almost six." He replied.

"What?" I asked.

"I want to show you something, but it's a bit of a walk. Get ready."

Part of me wondered if this was the proposal that Sirius had been rambling about during the party but none of it made sense. Sirius had said midnight so why on earth had James waited until six. Stubbornly I left on my pajamas and pulled on my coat, boots, gloves, and hat. Walking outside with James the first thing I realized, "It's snowing." I gasped reaching for James's hand.

"Yes it is. Are you sure that you don't want to wear something warmer?" He asked looking down to my pajama bottoms that had little snowflakes to match the ones falling around us.

"I'll survive." I said. As we walked neither one of us really said a word just enjoying the feeling that was Christmas. I didn't even realize we were climbing up a hill until James stopped me and turned me towards the valley.

"Look." He breathed. I looked out to see the city slowly coming awake. "This is my favorite time of day. When the world is still new." I smiled at the cheesy statement but he wasn't finished. "Just like our relationship Lily, it's ready to begin something new." I turned knowing that I must have misheard.

James Potter was down on one knee and in his hand sat the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. The diamond sat in what looked like a flower. "Lily Evans, you are already my family, my world, my everything, will you do me the honors of becoming my wife?"

I began to cry. "Yes." I finally got out. It was perfect the perfect Christmas. I knew that we were going to be together forever. Nothing would separate us. Not even death if it came to that.


End file.
